La Vrillette l ENSA Paris-La-Villette

La Vrillette is the laureate project in 2018 of a contest that takes place in the ENSA Paris-La-Villette, the biggest architecture school in Paris. Organized within the course named “Tectonic Sculpture” by Marc LEYRAL and Frédéric MARTINET, the contest promotes a reflection about the use of short-sized timber section elements to create full-scale experimental structures.

This year, the project of Damien FREGEFOND and Clément BERTHOUD has been constructed on an exceptional site, the rooftop of the City of Fashion and Design of Paris. Originally designed to be constructed inside the architecture school of Paris-La Villette, this structure had the privilege to be constructed on one of the finest places of design in Paris.

This new kind of exposure allowed students to experiment with another dimension of the architectural work processes: the coordination and organization of construction in an exceptional site.

The project is constructed with steam-bent wood. This constructive technic has required the design and the manufacture of specific tools; a steam hoven and a bending machine that allows producing an infinity of different curves. Its architecture is inspired by structural elements of the gardens of the renaissance period, the vegetated wood lattice. This pattern creates a generous organic volume directed towards the sky.

AN ASSOCIATION. The association «La Vrillette» has been created in order to achieve the construction of the project. Its purpose is to collect money to complete the funding of the project. its Members are the students of the ENSAPLV, the school of architecture of Paris-la-Villette.

Project Info:
Architects: ENSA Paris-La-Villette
Location: Paris, France
Area: 60 m²
Project Year: 2018
Photographs: Salem Mostefaoui, Florencia Hornos